Hurrah for the moderate Muslims of Luton!

[monkeytrousers]

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6392580.ece

Very interesting to read that.

I know, well done to them!
I always think they must despair of these extremists.

Bump

Agreed, the extremists do not represent the majority.

Fair play to them for doing something about it.

Encouraging but dislike the anti-semitic comments.

Nice to hear some moderates in Luton making a stand though - there have been several terrorists associated with the town, it's good to see decent people fighting back against the extremists.

I took it to mean that the extremists were making the anti-semitic comments, Edam. I wasn't that surprised TBH.

Although re-reading it actually it is not clear as it says the comments were made by "Islamists" which isn't very helpful.

Yup, Spam, you are right, I read it the wrong way round.

Agree it's an appalling thing to say though. They should have nicked em for incitement to racial hatred or something.

Finally - something nice about Moderate Muslims in the media

Islamists are antisemetic though Edam.

What does "Islamist" mean anyway?

Surely just a person who follows Islam ie a muslim person?

I genuinely don't know it's not a term I've heard before. Is it shorthand for extremist? If so, why?

Genuinely not heard the term before.

In case you didn't get that i genuinely havn't heard the term before

Quite, MT, but my first impression was it was the people objecting to extremists who had used the phrase about getting back to the synagogue. Reading it again, it was the extremists, not the objectors, who were using anti-semitic language.

islamist

Thanks cherry.

So not really one clearly defined meaning - and not by definition anti-semitic - I suppose depends on which definition you accept of the word. Reminds me of the many different faces of words like "feminist". Different things to different people.

I think the article should have stated clearly that it was the extremists who were making the comments - too much room for mis-interpretation amongst people who, like me, might simply take Islamist to be an alternative word for Muslim.

Islamism is generally to mean radical Islam. One can be opposed to Islamism but in favour of Islam.

Er no - Arabic is a semitic language, so you can't classify Islamists as anti semetic!

That's what it means in political terms Puss. Most of whom are Wahabbists.

Islamic extremists ARE anti-semitic as in hate Jews, though. Look at the leader of Iran.

True Edam.

"Islamist" as a word though seems open to various interpretations.

They should have stuck with the old tried and tested "extremist" term to make the article clear.

I hope this gets at least 1/4 of the publicity the extremists got with their protests.

Sadly, not hopeful...

First reaction is to cheer for them! I'm not surprised that most muslims are ordinary people who want to get on with their lives and it's good to hear from them.

Then I went and made some coffee and started to consider it a bit more.

I'm still 100% behind these people in Luton. Their intent was clearly good. I'm just wondering if we want to see rival groups policing the streets to stop the other religious/political group getting the upper hand. That didn't work out too well in Northern Ireland did it.

Onager that was the one thing for me as well, that it seemed a bit mob-ruley. It's a shame the police can't do anything about it and it has to be left up to groups of people to sort out. It could have turned quite nasty.

I think you are being way too premature in falling down that particular silppery slope Onagar.

We all need to get these things in perspective. What is at rick is democacy itself. A pacifist apprach won't do. Moderates have to assert themselves. There are no mobs involved. I'd be a bit offeneded by that comment if I was a moderate muslim, as if I had no right to march and challenge extremism myself